Locking zipper

ABSTRACT

A locking zipper includes a zip retainer and a zip fastener for zipping two elongated engaging tracks locating alongside of each other. The zip retainer includes a retention base, and a locking head integrally extended from the retention base. The zip fastener includes a sliding base and a key-free locker which is integrally provided at the sliding base and is releasably engaged with the locking head. At a zipped position, the sliding base is slid to the retention base for zipping the engaging tracks with each other that the key-free locker is locked with the locking head to securely lock up the zip fastener with the zip retainer. At an unzipped position, the key-free locker is released from the locking head such that the sliding base is slid away from the retention base for unzipping the engaging tracks from each other.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention represents a locking zipper, and more particularlya zipper with a key-free locker and a locking head which are integrallyprovided at the zipper respectively.

2. Description of Related Arts

Travel is one of the most important activities for people in the modernsociety, for the purpose of either leisure or business. In order to keepthe properties in the luggage secure, placing a lock on the zipper ofthe luggage, including backpack, or laptop bags, would be necessary.

Traditional luggage locks are usually placed externally on the zipper,by putting the hook-shape metal of the lock through the rings of thezippers on the luggage and then engaging the hook-shape metal with themain body of the lock to achieve the purpose of locking. The locks canbe accessed either by keys or combination of dialed numbers. However,traditional luggage locks suffer from their own limitations.

An additional lock on the luggage may seem bulky especially on backpacksand laptop bags. Furthermore, for the locks opened by keys, the luggageowners have to carry an additional key, and once the key is lost, theluggage cannot be opened without damaging either the lock or even theluggage itself.

Some lock bodies are fixed on the luggage and the zippers are pressedinto the lock bodies with combination of dialed numbers to achieve thelocking purposes. Although the fixed lock on the luggage does not appearbulky, the zippers can only be placed at some fixed locations and cannotbe freely moved on the engaging tracks in zipped position.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to provide a locking zipper,wherein the key-free locker is manufactured integrally with the base ofthe zipper so that the user of the luggage does not have to carry anadditional key for locking the luggage. Since the lock is integratedwith the zipper, it does not seem bulky especially for backpacks andlaptop bags. Also, the zippers are moving freely on the engaging trackseven in zipped position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking zipper,wherein the zipper comprises a zip retainer and a zip fastener. The zipretainer comprises a retention base mounted at the engaging tracks, anda locking head integrally extended from the retention base. The zipfastener comprises a sliding base mounted at the engaging tracks, and akey-free locker which is integrally provided at the sliding base and isreleasably engaged with the locking head extended from the retentionbase.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking zipper,wherein the retention base comprises a fixed anchor for affixing to theengaging tracks in an immovable manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking zipper,wherein the key-free locker comprises a locking latch extended from thesliding base to releasably engaging with the locking head, and a keylessactuator controlling the locking movement of the locking latch in akeyless accessing manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking zipper,wherein the keyless actuator comprises a plurality of numbered rotatingdials being set at a sequence of numbers to release the locking headfrom the locking latch so as to allow the zip fastener disengaging withthe zip retainer for unzipping the engaging tracks. The keyless actuatoralso comprises a biometric actuator releasably actuating the lockinglatch in responsive to biometric information of a user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking zipper,wherein the locking head comprises a locking tongue integrally protrudeor pivotally extended from the retention base to align with the lockinglatch when the zip fastener is slid to zip retainer, and the lockingtongue is engaged with the locking latch to lock up the zip fastenerwith the zip retainer. The locking head also comprises a C-shaped lockershield to serve the above locking functions with a lock cavity forprotecting an engagement between the locking tongue and the lockinglatch.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking zipper,wherein the locking latch comprises two locking elements sidewardlyextended from two sidewalls of the zip fastener in a retractably movablemanner respectively, wherein the locking head, having a U-shapedstructure, comprising two ring-shaped locking arms detachably engagingwith the two locking elements when the zip fastener is slid to zipretainer.

Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the presentinvention is provides a locking zipper, comprising:

a zip retainer which comprises a retention base mounted at the engagingtracks, and the locking head integrally extended from the retentionbase, and a key-free locker which is integrally provided at the slidingbase and is releasably engaged with the locking head extended from theretention base; and

a zip fastener which comprises a sliding base slidably mounted at theengaging tracks, and a key-free locker which integrally provided at thesliding base and is releasably engaged with the locking head, wherein atthe zipped position, the sliding base is slid to the retention base forzipping the engaging tracks with each other in such a manner that thekey-free locker is locked with the locking head to securely lock up thezip fastener with the zip retainer. While unzipping, the key-free lockeris released from the locking head such that the sliding base is slidaway from the retention base.

These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following detailed description,the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a locking zipper in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the locking zipper with a locking tongueintegrally protruded from a retention base at a mid-portion thereof toalign with a locking latch integrally provided on a zip fastener.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the locking zipper with a locking tonguepivotally extended from the retention base to align with the lockinglatch integrally provided on the zip fastener.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the locking zipper with a C-shaped lockershield integrally protruded from the retention base to align with thelocking latch integrally provided on the zip fastener.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the locking zipper with the locking latchcomprising two locking elements extended from two sidewalls of the zipfastener in a retractably movable manner respectively, and the lockinghead is a U-shaped structure extended from the retention base.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the locking zipper with the locking latchcomprising two locking slots provided at the sidewall thereof, and thelocking arms extended from the retention base.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the locking zipper with a biometricactuator.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the locking zipper wherein the zipretainer comprises a fixed anchor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a locking zipper according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention is illustrated, wherein the lockingzipper comprises a zip retainer 10 and a zip fastener 20.

The zip retainer 10 comprises a retention base 11, a locking head 12which is integrally extended from the retention base 11, and a retentionhandle 13 extended from the retention base 11 for sliding the retentionbase 11 along two engaging tracks 30 locating alongside of each otherfor zipping and unzipping purposes. The zip fastener 20 has a slidingbase 21 and a key-free locker 22 which is integrally provided at thesliding base 21 and is releasably engaged with the locking head 12. Bothzip retainer 10 and zip fastener 20 are moving along the engaging tracks30.

As can be seen, in zipped position, the zip retainer 10 and zip fastener20 are moving toward each other on the engaging tracks 30, wherein thekey-free locker 22 is locked with the locking head 12 to securely lockup the zip fastener 20 with the zip retainer 10. In this zippedposition, the locked zipper 10 can be freely moved along the engagingtracks 30. On the other hand, in unzipped position, the key-free locker22 is released from the locking head 12 and the sliding base 21 is slidaway from the retention base 11.

The key-free locker 22 comprises a locking latch 23 which is operativelyextended from the sliding base to releasably engaging with the lockinghead 12, two operative buttons 24, a keyless actuator 25 controlling alocking movement of the locking latch 23 in a keyless accessing manner,and a lock cavity 26 as shown in FIG. 2. In a preferred embodiment, thekeyless actuator 25 comprises a plurality of numbered rotating dialsbeing set at a sequence of numbers to release the locking head 12 fromthe locking latch 23 so as to allow the zip fastener 20 disengaging withthe zip retainer 10 for unzipping purposes.

The key-free locker 22 has two side portions for the rotating dialsmounted thereat respectively and the locking cavity 26 is definedbetween the numbered rotating dials, wherein the locking latch 23 isintegrally extended within the locking cavity 26 to detachably engagewith the locking head 12. When zipping occurs, the zip retainer 10 andthe zip fastener 20 are moving toward each other on the engaging tracks30, wherein the locking head 12 is engaged with the locking cavity 26 tosecurely lock up the zip fastener 20 and the zip retainer 10. Whileunzipping, the locking head 12 is detached from the locking cavity 26when the operative buttons 24 are pressed inwardly, and then the lockinghead 12 is slid away from the zip retainer 10.

Referring to FIG. 2, the locking head 12 comprises a locking tongue 121integrally protruded from the retention base 11 at a mid-portion thereofto align with the locking latch 23 when the zip fastener 20 is slid tothe zip retainer 20.

Alternatively, the locking head 12 comprises a locking tongue 121Apivotally extended from the retention base 11 to align with the lockinglatch 23 so that when the zip fastener 20 is slid to the zip retainer10, the locking tongue 121A is pivotally pressed to engage with thelocking latch 23 to lock up the zip fastener 20 with the zip retainer10. When unzipping, the locking tongue 121A is detached from the lockingcavity 26 when the operative buttons 24 are pressed inwardly, and thenthe locking head 12 is slid away from the zip retainer 10, as shown inFIG. 3.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the locking head 12B can be a C-shaped lockershield 121B integrally protruded from the retention base 11 to alignwith the locking cavity 26 and a locking tongue 122B integrallyprotruded from the zip retainer 10 within the locker shield 121B toalign with the locking latch 23 such that when the zip fastener 20 isslid to zip retainer 10 to engage the locking tongue 122B with thelocking latch 23. The locking tongue 122B and the locking latch 23 whenengaging with each other are under protection with the locker shield121C. It can also prevent the lock from unexpected disengagement due tostrong external force.

In another preferred embodiment, the locking latch 23C comprises twolocking elements 27C sidewardly extended from two sidewalls of the zipfastener 20 in a retractably movable manner respectively. The lockinghead 12C is a U-shaped structure with two ring shaped locking arms 121Cdetachably engaged with the two locking elements 27C in the zippedposition. While unzipping, two locking elements 27C are pressed inwardlyto release the zip retainer 10, as shown in FIG. 5.

As can be seen in FIG. 6, the zip fastener 20 comprises two lockingslots 28C provided at the sidewalls respectively that portions of thelocking elements 27C are ball-shaped and outwardly protruded from thesidewalls through the locking slots 28C to engage with the locking arms121D respectively. While unzipping, the user only needs to slightly pullthe locking arm 121D out of the locking elements 27C. As shown in FIG.6, each of the locking arms 121D has a locking cap 1211D having anindention at an inner side thereof to receive the protruding portion ofthe respective locking element 27C.

Biometrics refers to the automatic identification of a person based onhis/her physiological or behavioral characteristics. The method ofidentification is considered more secure than traditional methods. Inthe present invention, the keyless actuator can be a biometric actuator.The biometric actuator 29 may comprise a micro computer used to storethe user's biometric information and determine whether the biometricinformation from the alleged user matches the user's information storedin the database. While unzipping, the biometrics information of thealleged user is entered and compared with the user's biometricinformation in the database. If the information matches, the zipfastener is disengaged with the zip retainer. The biometric informationcan be fingerprint, but not limited to, as shown in FIG. 7.

The retention base 11 is embodied as a fixed anchor 11E for affixing tothe engaging tracks 30 in an immovable manner. In this embodiment, thezip fastener is slid to the fixed anchor 11E for zipping and slid awayfrom the retention base for unzipping purposes as shown in FIG. 8. It isworth to mention that the fixed anchor 11E can be used for the above zipconfiguration.

One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of thepresent invention as shown in the drawings and described above isexemplary only and not intended to be limiting.

It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have beenfully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown anddescribed for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structuralprinciples of the present invention and is subject to change withoutdeparture from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes allmodifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

1. A locking zipper for zipping two elongated engaging tracks locatingalongside of each other, comprising: a zip retainer which comprises aretention base adapted for mounting at said engaging tracks, and alocking head integrally extended from said retention base; and a zipfastener which comprises a sliding base adapted for slidably mounting atsaid engaging tracks, a fastener handle extended from said sliding baseto drive said sliding base between a zipped position and an unzippedposition, and a key-free locker which is integrally provided at saidsliding base and is releasably engaged with said locking head, whereinat said zipped position, said sliding base is slid to said retentionbase for zipping said engaging tracks with each other in such a mannerthat said key-free locker is locked with said locking head to securelylock up said zip fastener with said zip retainer, wherein at saidunzipped position, said key-free locker is released from said lockinghead such that said sliding base is slid away from said retention basefor unzipping said engaging tracks from each other.
 2. The lockingzipper, as recited in claim 1, wherein said zip retainer furthercomprises a retention handle extended from said retention base forsliding said retention base along said engaging tracks for unzippingsaid engaging tracks when said zip retainer is slid away from said zipfastener along said engaging tracks and for zipping said engaging trackswhen said zip retention is slid to said zip fastener.
 3. The lockingzipper, as recited in claim 1, wherein said retention base comprises afixed anchor for affixing to said engaging tracks in an immovablemanner.
 4. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 1, wherein saidkey-free locker comprises a locking latch operatively extended from saidsliding base to releasably engaging with said locking head and a keylessactuator controlling a locking movement of said locking latch in akeyless accessing manner.
 5. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 2,wherein said key-free locker comprises a locking latch operativelyextended from said sliding base to releasably engaging with said lockinghead and a keyless actuator controlling a locking movement of saidlocking latch in a keyless accessing manner.
 6. The locking zipper, asrecited in claim 3, wherein said key-free locker comprises a lockinglatch operatively extended from said sliding base to releasably engagingwith said locking head and a keyless actuator controlling a lockingmovement of said locking latch in a keyless accessing manner.
 7. Thelocking zipper, as recited in claim 5, wherein said keyless actuatorcomprises a plurality of numbered rotating dials being set at a sequenceof numbers to release said locking head from said locking latch so as toallow said zip fastener disengaging with said zip retainer for unzippingsaid engaging tracks.
 8. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 6,wherein said keyless actuator comprises a plurality of numbered rotatingdials being set at a sequence of numbers to release said locking headfrom said locking latch so as to allow said zip fastener disengagingwith said zip retainer for unzipping said engaging tracks.
 9. Thelocking zipper, as recited in claim 7, wherein said key-free locker hastwo side portions for said rotating dials rotatably mounting thereatrespectively and a mid-portion defining a lock cavity between saidnumbered rotating dials, wherein said locking latch is integrallyextended within said lock cavity to detachably engage with said lockinghead.
 10. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 8, wherein saidkey-free locker has two side portions for said rotating dials rotatablymounting thereat respectively and a mid-portion defining a lock cavitybetween said numbered rotating dials, wherein said locking latch isintegrally extended within said lock cavity to detachably engage withsaid locking head.
 11. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 9,wherein said locking head comprises a locking tongue integrallyprotruded from said retention base at a mid-portion thereof to alignwith said locking latch when said zip fastener is slid to zip retainer.12. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 10, wherein said lockinghead comprises a locking tongue integrally protruded from said retentionbase at a mid-portion thereof to align with said locking latch when saidzip fastener is slid to zip retainer.
 13. The locking zipper, as recitedin claim 9, wherein said locking head comprises a locking tonguepivotally extended from said retention base to align with said lockinglatch such that when said zip fastener is slid to zip retainer, saidlocking tongue is pivotally pressed to engage with said locking latch tolock up said zip fastener with said zip retainer.
 14. The lockingzipper, as recited in claim 10, wherein said locking head comprises alocking tongue pivotally extended from said retention base to align withsaid locking latch such that when said zip fastener is slid to zipretainer, said locking tongue is pivotally pressed to engage with saidlocking latch to lock up said zip fastener with said zip retainer. 15.The locking zipper, as recited in claim 9, wherein said locking headcomprises a C-shaped locker shield integrally protruded from saidretention base to align with said lock cavity and a locking tongueintegrally protruded from said zip retainer within said locker shield toalign with said locking latch such that when said zip fastener is slidto zip retainer to engage said locking tongue with said locking latch,said locker shield encloses said lock cavity for protecting anengagement between said locking tongue and said locking latch.
 16. Thelocking zipper, as recited in claim 10, wherein said locking headcomprises a C-shaped locker shield integrally protruded from saidretention base to align with said lock cavity and a locking tongueintegrally protruded from said zip retainer within said locker shield toalign with said locking latch such that when said zip fastener is slidto zip retainer to engage said locking tongue with said locking latch,said locker shield encloses said lock cavity for protecting anengagement between said locking tongue and said locking latch.
 17. Thelocking zipper, as recited in claim 7, wherein said locking latchcomprises two locking elements sidewardly extended from two sidewalls ofsaid zip fastener in a retractably movable manner respectively, whereinsaid locking head, having a U-shaped structure, comprises tworing-shaped locking arms detachably engaging with said two lockingelements when said zip fastener is slid to zip retainer.
 18. The lockingzipper, as recited in claim 8, wherein said locking latch comprises twolocking elements sidewardly extended from two sidewalls of said zipfastener in a retractably movable manner respectively, wherein saidlocking head, having a U-shaped structure, comprises two ring-shapedlocking arms detachably engaging with said two locking elements whensaid zip fastener is slid to zip retainer.
 19. The locking zipper, asrecited in claim 17, wherein zip fastener has two locking slots providedat said sidewalls respectively that portions of said locking elementsare outwardly protruded from said sidewalls through said locking slotsto engage with said locking arms respectively.
 20. The locking zipper,as recited in claim 18, wherein zip fastener has two locking slotsprovided at said sidewalls respectively that portions of said lockingelements are outwardly protruded from said sidewalls through saidlocking slots to engage with said locking arms respectively.
 21. Thelocking zipper, as recited in claim 19, wherein said two lockingelements are two ball-shaped elements movably supported at saidsidewalls of said zip fastener respectively.
 22. The locking zipper, asrecited in claim 20, wherein said two locking elements are twoball-shaped elements movably supported at said sidewalls of said zipfastener respectively.
 23. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 5,wherein said keyless actuator comprises a biometric actuator releasablyactuating said locking latch in responsive to biometric information of auser.
 24. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 6, wherein saidkeyless actuator comprises a biometric actuator releasably actuatingsaid locking latch in responsive to biometric information of a user. 25.The locking zipper, as recited in claim 23, wherein biometric actuatorcomprises a fingerprint reader integrally provided at said zip fastenerfor reading a fingerprint of said user to release said locking head fromsaid locking latch.
 26. The locking zipper, as recited in claim 24,wherein biometric actuator comprises a fingerprint reader integrallyprovided at said zip fastener for reading a fingerprint of said user torelease said locking head from said locking latch.